Washington-area immigrant leaders are calling for a halt to immigration raids and plan to lobby lawmakers to give citizenship to the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States. The National Capital Immigrant Coalition, the group that organized last year’s 100,000-person march on the National Mall, is making its most aggressive demands since the movement helped halt a House bill that would have made felons of undocumented immigrants and anybody who aided them.

NCIC chairman Jamie Contreras said the United States needs reforms that make it possible for workers to come to the country in an orderly fashion instead of being made into criminals. He said raids are costly and tear apart innocent families without solving any problems.

“The broken immigration system hurts good people,” Contreras said. “Immigrants are us; we are Americans, and we are real people.”

The coalition of 40 organizations launched its new push Tuesday, days after nearly 400 angry protesters demonstrated outside the White House in opposition to legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to become legal if they meet certain requirements.

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The bill, proposed by Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also would increase border security and crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants.

NCIC is urging D.C. officials to make the nation’s capital a sanctuary city, a place where the city’s law enforcement officials would not be used in immigration sweeps.

The group laid out plans to mobilize this summer, beginning Saturday with a clinic to show legal immigrants how to become U.S. citizens.

Instead of holding a May 1 boycott, as groups in California are planning, area organizers are planning rallies in D.C., Virginia and Maryland.

On June 2, NCIC will hold its biggest rally on the West Lawn of the Capitol to coincide with congressional debate over immigration reform.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com